How can I show God that I'm grateful?
Being appreciated is wonderful. Whether it’s from your boss at work, a friend, your parent or your neighbour. You can tell someone really appreciates you and what you’ve done for them when they say thank you. Even better than this, when they show you they are grateful through their actions in return.
It’s a wonder why many of us Christians only say thank you to God after getting that breakthrough we asked for, after a close call or when comparing our lives to someone “worse off”. But, God deserves so much more than that. In the Bible, God is very specific about what we can do as a response to His love towards us.
“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.” (1 Chronicles 16:34, NIV)
Using His Gifts To Show We Are Grateful
As a child, I travelled to spend Christmas with my cousin’s family for a few years. Without a fail, my Aunt would give me something I could grow into, usually underwear and socks. One year, I decided to ask for something super specific. Christmas morning came and to my disappointment, I opened a training bra, quite different to what I had asked for. Now that I’ve grown up, I wonder if I’ve made God feel like the 11-year-old me.
God doesn’t expect us to give him gifts per say, He says obedience is better than any sacrificial gift you could give. (1 Samuel 15:22) He’d like us to use the free gifts He has already given, as our way of appreciating Him, to express we are grateful and reach others. Following the example of Christ who laid down his life to win others back to the Father.
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” - Mark 10:45.
In a parable that Jesus taught, there was a Master who was preparing to travel and before leaving, he gave his servants talents to make the most of before his return. One of the servants didn’t obey his master’s request and was called “wicked and lazy”, whilst the ones who made the most of what they were given were praised.
God has given us the gift of salvation, so that we may share our faith with others. We’ve been given our testimonies, to build our faith, be an encourager to others and to be a blessing to our communities. This is how you can say thank you.
How do you show God you're grateful?
Blog written by Temwa
I am passionate about living and serving well. I believe this starts from connection to God, community and knowing our identity in Him and from there stewarding every part of our lives. If I’m not eating, I’m usually hanging out with my husband, with my nose in a book or just day dreaming.